Would this have lead paint?
My house was built in 1978, and we recently sanded a shelf, and now we are wondering if it continued led? The shelf was stained, and lead paint was banned in 1978, but would it still contain any?
Do all houses built before 1950 have lead paint?
sixcannon had some good advice about soils and lead pipes. But to correct some urban legends from other posters - it is NOT paint chips that is the big problem for most kids. It is the lead-based paint (LBP) dust from impact and friction surfaces like double-hung windows, door jams and painted stairs. (a very few kids eat paint chips and that IS really bad, but the much more widespread problem is for 1-5 year olds who ingest dust from playing on the floor, etc. Back to your question, I've inspected over a hundred houses for LBP and talked to trainers and supervisors who've inspected thousands. Not all house pre-1950 have LBP, but a lot do. Often not in the wall or ceiling paint but much more likely in the door and window jams, kitchen, bathroom, and exterior trim. Pre-WWII and those locations can be screaming, 20 to 50 times modern standards. Ironically, the better, fancier houses have higher levels of LBP because it was the best, most durable, most expensive paint available. But if a house has always been cared for, there is less water damage, poorly hung doors, etc, to generate paint dust. Intact LBP is not a hazard in and of itself. Only if it is generating dust or someone comes along and dry sands it. A LBP inspection runs $500-1500 for a single-family home. The home-owner/DIY option is a little color-metric swab that turns pink if there is lead in paint or leachable lead in a toy or dishes. A better paint store will stock them, "Lead Check" or look at www.homaxproducts.com About $15 for two swabs that can test 4 locations. For paint, you cut through all layers at an angle, swab it for 30 seconds and look for a pink color on the swab. Most suspect are door and window jambs, exterior trim and kitchen/baths. I test 200-300 locations in a house with a $20,000 instrument. But if 4 or 8 of the highest-risk locations are clear, the whole house likely is.
How can I see if the paint on my house has lead (home test)?
You can buy a test kit but NO test kits that are sold have the approval of the EPA.We have been trained by the EPA to do LEAD mitigation and during the course…they just happen to mention there is no way to do what they ask you to do.There you are, stuck, the government says you have to test and there is no way to test! Boy o Boy is that frustrating.If I use the test strips and tell you that you are LEAD free then I could be legally responsible for your problem, if it was found later that there was lead in it that was just buried under the coats of paint.My insurance company doesn’t want me to take a risk like that. We have even talked about having all the crew tested for lead in their blood and having the homeowner and their family tested also. before we start work and after we finish. (Send your thank you cards to the EPA)What we do is assume that any house built during or before 1977 has LEAD and we take precaution as required when doing demolition.
How can you make sure your house has no lead paint?
You do not need to make sure that it has no lead paint. Having lead paint is not a threat to your health. Having deteriorated lead paint is a threat to your health.If you would like your home tested for lead paint, call your State or County department of Health and discuss it.They will charge you a fee for testing, and if you do any remodeling work afterward to remove or encapsulate the deteriorated paint, there will be a clearance test too.So if your paint is in good condition, and not peeling, you have little to worry about.On the other hand, if you have small children, and you have a house which is older than 1977, who should get your kids a blood test for elevated levels of lead.If they are okay, you don't need to worry about your house.
I have a house built in 1921.Want to repaint, may be lead paint!?
Depending on the state you live in, you may be able to just catch the flakes in a dropcloth and dispose of in the trash. I know that Massachusetts recently relaxed the law to allow that because people were painting over loose paint to avoid all the hazardous waste issues. This caused more polution in peoples yards, so they figured it would be better to have it all in a landfill than in peoples flower beds. Just check with the local building dept. or the environmental agency in your state.
How do I know if my house has been painted with a lead-based paint?
Ariel Trouche, Agent, Mount Pleasant, SCTue Oct 6, 2015I have never had anyone have the lead test done. I ask my clients, "What are you going to do if it has lead paint?". If they tell me they won't buy it , then I tell them to think about whether they want to put in a contract or look for a newer home. If it was built before 1978 there is a good chance it could have lead. The cost is $450 for someone to tell you what you probably already know. I let them know that when you paint over lead paint, you have encapsulated the problem. I also recommend that they talk to a professional about it as well. The real question is do you care or not ? Ultimately... it is the clients decision of course. If they are more comfortable testing then they should test, but I always think it is useful to ask what they are going to do with the information once they have it.
Is it safe to strip paint in my 1930s house?
The danger from removing old paint is actively being debated in the US right now. A few of the more careful regions (like Boston) now require hazard abatement be done prior to disturbing paint where lead may be present. There are two main reasons: 1) the nervous systems of children are much more sensitive to lead poisoning than adults, and I doubt we really know what level of lead exposure is safe, and 2) because paint profesionals will be exposed to paint chips/fumes repeatedly over the decades that span their careers, this could lead to unsafe levels of lead accumulation. However, for the individual homeowner who removes lead paint rarely, I suspect hazard material abatement is unnecessary to keep adults safe, especially if the right steps are taken during paint removal, waste disposal, and cleanup to minimize distribution of any lead particles. (The risk will be even lower when removing paint outdoors.) To be safe, I would bar anyone under 18 from a space where old paint may be disturbed (exclude them from the house, ideally) until the paint removal and cleanup is done.If you don't have children, frankly I would go ahead and remove the paint without calling health and safety. But I recommend you do some homework on the subject first to be well informed and minimize risk.Some lead paint removal methods are much safer than others. If you can prevent paint+lead particles from becoming airborne as you remove them, that will diminish risk substantially. That means you should not abrade away the paint with a high speed scraping wheel, because it will create small paint chips and fling them throughout the room. This is especially true inside the house because the residue can linger for a long time in niches that are seldom cleaned (like the ridges on moldings and wainscotting, or behind books on bookshelves).The safest lead paint removal method is to use a paste (or liquid) paint stripper designed for indoor use. This way no paint particles are propelled into the air. However these are messy and usually require repeated cycles of application and removal before all layers of paint are gone. And some paste stripper products are much more effective than others.By the way, there are paint test kits available which can confirm the presence of lead. But a 1930 house with old paint almost certainly will test positive.
Is it safe to leave walls with lead paint in your house if you don’t have any children or ever have any visit?
It depends on the status of the paint in your house! If you have lead paint on the walls, but they’re in good condition, ( No chipping, peeling, chalking, cracking or anything like that.) And you -clean- flat surfaces fairly often ( Window sills, troughs, hard floors) then lead paint is not a huge hazard or health concern.However, if you plan to renovate at any time in that home, you may want to have a professional come out and do a lead inspection. They could do a full lead combo, which will test everything and tell you exactly where the lead paint is , and what kind of shape it’s in -or- you can request a limited scope inspection. Limited scope inspections would only test the area’s where renovation is going to happen.Either way, lead paint is really prevalent, especially in homes older than 1978. As long as you keep the paint in good condition, and remember to test before any renovation, you have little to worry about!
Would you bother with a lead paint test?
In 1960 the federal government recognized the possible danger of lead based paint and reduced the amount of lead you could put in paint. A lot of single family builders quit using it altogether at that time. In 1978 they outlawed lead based paint altogether except for special circumstances (such as shielding Xray radiation). There is a blue booklet that outlines the possible dangers. The federal government requires you get one of those if you are going to buy a house of that age. I have sold hundreds of homes in that age range. I have never found anyone that got a lead based paint test done. They are apparently difficult to do or expensive. I don't even know who I would call to do one. Just because I am not concerned or your husband is not concerned is not good enough. You need to be able to sleep soundly in your own bed. Anyone I ever worked with that was concerned simply decided to buy a newer house. If you are concerned I would do the same thing.
What was the benefit of lead paint?
Lead paint is very durable paint. Painters for centuries used a lead-based white gesso to prime their canvasses. Lead is also used in low fired pottery to produce bright vibrant colors. Lead becomes a problem when it is used in a house and the paint begins to chip. This problem mainly affects children and that is why it isn’t used in any type of house paint. Lead is not bad in every instance and is necessary for some artistic endeavors but should only be handled by those who understand to carefully handle it.